Uniforms

At Al Karamah we believe that our students should be well-groomed, with a neat appearance and a well-maintained school uniform or clothing. We recommend that all uniforms and clothing items be clearly labelled with your child/ren's name.

Parents often report that their child with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) experiences challenges with clothing. For example, they may insist on wearing particular brands or prefer certain logos on their clothes. They may dislike new clothes, be sensitive to certain tags and seams, or be reluctant to wear hats. Some children may resist putting clothes on or staying dressed. These challenges/sensitivities can cause issues with a new school uniform.

Children can be supported to develop a tolerance to a range of clothing and this tip sheet provides some strategies to assist families to overcome difficulties they may encounter with school uniforms.

Common issues that may arise with items of clothing:

Sensitivity or dislike of:

• tags and seams
• feel of material (e.g. thickness, softness, scratchy or soft)
• colour and pattern of material
• collars
• smell of new clothing
• feel of new clothing
• buttons and zips
• elastic waistbands and/or drawstrings.
• enclosed shoes that make children’s feet feel hot or sweaty, as well as those that limit their ability to move and wiggle their feet, may be avoided

Strategies to encourage your child to wear their school uniform include:

• buying the uniform ahead of time so your child can regularly try on the uniform, wear the uniform for visits to the school, and when engaging in school routines
• providing regular opportunities for your child to wear clothing similar to the uniform
• creating a story for your child to read or view about their new uniform (our Speech therapists can assist with this)
• ensuring that learning to wear the uniform is paired with an exciting and engaging experience as this helps a child to make a link between the uniform and positive experiences and increases the positive perception of the uniform
• washing new clothing before wearing as this will minimise any unpleasant smells and soften the fabrics that are stiff and possibly irritating.
• cutting tags off clothing for children who are sensitive to these
• if your child is experiencing difficulties with more than one item of clothing, pick one to focus on at a time and gradually introduce another when the child has adapted to each new item that is introduced.
• using stickers or other representations of your child’s favourite characters on the clothing to increase their attractiveness to the child

At Al Karamah we are aware that our students may need time to adjust to the uniform and our team will work with you to manage any concerns around this.

If your child is struggling to wear a uniform, we ask that you ensure your child is dressed appropriately and maintaining an appropriate, neat and tidy demeanor.